The Lion's Mane is good. No need to get too fancy.

The Way of The Harksburton has never been too fancy! We are exactly what a Harksburton should be! IMPRESSIVE, GENTLEMANLY, BOLD, AND STRONG! LION'S MANE DOES NOT SOUND IMPRESSIVE, DOES IT? NOR DOES IT SOUND STRONG OR BOLD!

>>232883
Well, yeah, but it generally goes [Adjective] [Noun], like Proud Blow, or Prolific Pugilism, or Bloody Pinions. Don't need The [Adjective] [Noun] of the [Adjective] [Noun] or [Noun] of the [Adjective] [Noun]. Short and sweet.

>>232891
My god, you're right!

>>232696
Through the fantastic abilites of white blood, we've made Keddic's body into a highly efficient machine. However, there are still some kinks to be worked out. There are two organs in particular we can improve thanks to our newfound powers.

First up, the Gallbladder. The reason Keddic's liver is still in such a sorry state is because it's partner in crime didn't get properly modified. The liver is a filter for the body, the gallbladder is a filter for the liver. Both need to be made larger to accomodate all the production we're demanding from them. The organs also produce bile, normally made by the liver passing mineral salts to the gallbladder and being converted. Bile is the substance that is used to detoxify red blood cells, the process is strikingly similar to the way white blood cells purge and reject ailments from the body. What if Keddic were to modify the process of making bile, and the actual composition of the mucus-like fluid so that it held the same catalog of resistances and antibodies as the white blood cells do- Every cell that underwent the process would be imprinted with that very same information, making our already armored blood a phalanx of threat-busting precognition. Keddic's blood can be thought of like hundreds of millions of billions of people, we gave em bullet proof jackets, now they're all getting drafted.

This other organ has long been thought of as useless, a mere remnant from a time when humans were primitive things. I speak of the Appendix, a pouch attached to the large intestine. The power of white blood has already allowed us to create new organs and bypass the limitations of a human cellular structure, I think of the Appendix as a new building block to expand upon. By expanding the Appendix, Keddic can make an entirely new digestive tract running parallel to his own. We could make Keddic into a vastly more efficient Goran, being able to store and eat both magical and organic things(we could totally feed Keddic Trollzaru's arm and make him immune to most of his yeti magefuckery).

[I'm also working on a technique that involves his pipe lighting trick- How would people feel if Keddic were able to projectile vomit molten steel?]

>>232906
>Vomit steel

I'm not sure if that fits in with his gentleman vibe very much...

>>232907
Spit molten steel is much better.

>>232908
It... really isn't. I think the "Spitting steel" thing can be moved back for another day. One far, far away.

Well, between 'Vomiting' and 'Expectoration' I'd rather spit. And it must be said, as Keddic will be the Primarch of the Blood Angels, he should spit some sort of powerful weapon.

>>232916
>Spit bullets

Yes please.

>>232916
>>232938
Way of the Harksburton: Burning Bloody Bullets?
(The burning comes from the sensation of acidic blood dissolving their skin.)

The lymphatic system is a system driven by the heart mostly, and does not move as quickly as the bloodstream afaik. It also transports white blood throughout the body for defense.

What if Keddic made himself a separate mini-heart, maybe in the back of his ribcage behind the heart, responsible for circulating white blood? This would in short divide up white and red blood into different circulatory systems, while still allowing infusion of white blood into the normal circulatory system for fighting off diseases introduced through skin breaks and such. Such a double heart would also introduce some pretty cool upgrades, such as doubly-strong blood armor that would shift in hues of white and red as the various patches of blood are pushed around, increased concentration of red blood cells in prime circulatory system for more stamina and oxygen communication, ability to close off one heart in case of damage and combine the two circulatory systems in emergencies as a backup pump, etc.

>>232948

There's a big main artery that joins in the crotch. That would be ideal to turn into a second heart, since it has the big hook-ups into the circulatory system already, and it's reasonably well protected.

Bob, have we gained any automatic bonus like we did when we got five points in Whtie Blood Mastery?

And Keddic, Young man! I have a question for you but does your grandfather, father and even yourself have a nickname? And please, Keddic, who are these Fissykus and other Great Houses?

>>232775
[Would you like to suggest how Keddic would go about that?]

>>232823
[While good ideas, couple things:
-The Threat sense is about as advanced as it can get, making new senses requires comprehensive body mastery beyond what Keddic can claim as a blood specialist.
-Teaching Keddic Curatiomancy/self understanding to Bang's level would take years.
However, concerning the Adrenal gland...]
I find my body starting to slip out of the state of revelation, despite my more ably housed mind, something I strive to prevent. Plucking another concept from the ethers, I seek out that part of my that causes the state of slowed time, personal crisis management... ah, I feel some ownership. There, atop my kidneys. I pry and peek, demanding that sense of time slowed, White Blood pressing ever closer-

>[WHITE BLOOD MASTERY CHECK: >20 PASS]

The world slows as a steady trickle of something grinds Jeeba's viciously swift halt to a perceptual standstill, my body handling as if caught in molasses. I feel the sense of epiphany, the Moment of Inspiration marching onward, mind empowered along with my body, as I sense a cascade of processes... I had not realized how much of a battle stimulant lay within my own body. A potent find indeed, to now have grafted enough White blood to the glands that I can manually control its release. The steady cushion in time connects with the Order of my system, the ride far smoother than I ever remember its natural tapping, my sobriety preserved in perfect clarity. Like a space between seconds, to be grasped at will.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 22/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

My attention next turns to improving circulation to my every sensory organ, and in the process imbuing them as well with White Blood coatings. magic surges, grafting to flesh and warping it, ever so subtly. Compounded by the saturation of White Blood granting omnisensual Threat sensing, I now have such a deluge of data coming my way that even with the adapted nervous system, my brain faces a flood. Were it not for the command of those kidney-topping glands I discovered, I doubt i could even function. But the flood of data seems perfectly tolerable. I will certainly take note that maintaining these doubly enhanced senses all the time would be less than ideal, considering its dependence on what I am recognizing is a rather taxing stimulant.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 23/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

>>232861
[Already part of Harksburton alchemical augments, in terms of blood being over-oxygenated compared to human norms. If you wish to push that even further, that's fine, but health risks appear if the saturation gets too high. Do you still wish to proceed?]

>>232906
With my liver starting to thrive again, I consider my ever dwindling supply of free White Blood, as I seek some way to improve performance. The liver is stronger, aye, but it still can break down with relative ease. ...Hmm, something dependent, reliant, a supporter of my sanguine filter. As I recheck and further enhance the circulation of my liver while grafting more White blood to it, I likewise augment this joined organ... and through these enhancements, come upon a wild realization.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 24/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

I dive into the enhanced organs, sensing the means by which blood is filtered... the process all too similar to the encoding of some variant of my White. An idea comes to me in a mood as gleeful as a child, so I act without hesitation, making my filtering itself a means to bring Order to my Red blood in the same means as the White, pairing and further entwining the forces, so that the white can control more ably and the red gains potency. My already engorged mana pool swells wider, and I find my magical stamina should prove monstrous indeed, as my blood itself becomes hardier, more reactive, a better weapon mine to command.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 25/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]
[RANK: EXPERT OF WHITE BLOOD]


I start to reach for my appendix, knowing its current state's worthlessness to me, to rework it into some new purpose-to be abruptly reminded of my already boosted form, as I find a miniaturized backup liver and accompanying filtering partner. I find my ignorance minor in comparisons to the gains I make as I spend White Blood coating, enriching and improving circulation to my backup blood filter. Were it not that I was stuck between moments, I would smirk as I now find my paired livers so capably equipped to filter and run in overdrive that had I enough of it, I could filter a lake of claret fluids.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 26/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

>>232787
In a fit of revelry filled madness, I charge towards Jeeba's altered form, knowing that his new bony protrusions must be threats of incredible lethality, by sheer dint of how molten they appear to me as a Threat. I dart around a spinning kick, ducking a sweeping arm and never touching and elbow or knee in the process either, getting in close with the aid of predictive evasion and the space between moments. I dive in deep before Jeeba can react, legs and lower torso shooting past as my spinning body lashes out with both arms to encircle Jeeba's gut, and I begin using that contact to do something that ultimately surprises me after I start it. I try to fire a Winding Way charge skewed along all my contact areas with Jeeba, to exchange my controlled blood with his own, assail it with my whole body and quickly recycle it to my own purposes, and further my attack. I planned an ever growing, rolling wave of colonization, brutal and gory. But the Winding Way pulse is too wide, and ALL of my Bodie's order is triggered. A never-ending wave of shockwaves move, as I feverishly turn each to transposing blood and flesh, simultaneously attacking the excised flesh with terrible ferocity.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: FEASTING LARIAT!!!"

I slam Jeeba to the ground to forcefully break our contact, his form missing most of his intestinal organs, even the spine nearly eaten through. As I watch cords twitch and jerk, spasming from end to end as the wound haphazardly begins to close itself, but my focus is too diverted to even consider attacking.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 27/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

In an instant, I expended that precious minute of Order I had imbued in my blood, all burned away when twisted to Chaos. In exchange, I claimed some fifty pounds of body mass, twelve of which I subverted and processed already, the rest having time for cellular defenses to kick in, some rejection of my working. Ragegluts... it would figure if he claimed some part of their Blood Magic immunity, as I now realize it will take long seconds to best that which I have claimed, without Order backing my Blood. Still, I feel power to my name, enough to triumph, and with it grow ever stronger. My body builds Order, I wage war on Jeeba's claimed flesh, and Jeeba's body begins to spasm as it recovers even more swiftly than before. Seconds pass, and Jeeba begins to rise, teeth now fangs that leak the same fell energy, soul still swelling- and fraying, to my senses, threat larger and less defined by the second. In the interim, I bested his claimed flesh, fully refilling cloak and toga, and having enough blood to direct, ample supplies to work with-and experience with fighting Rageglut spell matrices, or something very similar.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 28/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

>>232757
In my ever-fey mood, I speak to Jeeba without even realizing it.

"Jeeba, you have scared away the audience. That will not do old chap! This is a tournament, and having an audience is the most important thing, you well know this. I mean, is what you're doing even legal, what with that reaction. And you're using soul magic, aren't you. You can't heal... is what I'd like to say, but clearly that is wrong... Still, I bet if I punched your heart out again, you'd die this time, right?"
>"...HehehahahahahHAHAHA!!! THIS is what I sought, a foe to test, something to rage against with all my might! Contest our souls, our essence of violence, to find who is greater!"

Even leaking blood by the bucket-load, heedlessly regenerating flesh from some unseen wellspring to seal up his body, I notice he stands a full foot taller now, claws heavier, spurs larger. His heartbeat presses against me. as he begins to spin, building to a speed where I see no path through its threat, a dense sphere of death awaiting my coming. But he stumbles, body checked by some pain in his chest, the White Blood I seeded his body with still setting his immune system upon itself, a horrific addition to his incredible battle transformation's toll. Yet he grins regardless as he builds speed back up, movements the slightest hair more sloppy.... body a touch larger.

>>232715
With my twin livers in overdrive comfortably piling out altered cells, I flood my coat with Red blood made with a spiral structure, filling it's reserves to the brim. My prize seems potent indeed, and as Jeeba's abrupt turn of further speed brings him into range even through the fog of adrenal in my veins, I find my cloak lashing out with whirring tendrils, sanguine drill-lances that need no direction to skewer wrists, priecing through flesh that resists like wood yet again, the drilling motions now vitally useful to amplify the White. One tendril brushes against the barest edge of Jeeba's left elbow spur, and the whole tentacle abruptly unwound to neutral and withers, individual cells unraveling in a way even my enhanced senses cannot perceive, only stopping shy of my body when I about connection with the afflicted fluids.... had I not gained this mastery of adrenaline....

I find myself suspended inside of Jeeba's reach as his body strains towards breaking my impalement intercepting his blows, like a spider webbed within a giant.



What should I say or do?
Do I have any more ideas of White Blood's use, now that I have become an Expert?
Do I have any ideas of what to say to sway the clearly verbally pliable Jeeba?

>individual cells unraveling in a way even my enhanced senses cannot perceive

Aaaaand that's why I said stay the hell away: It unravels DNA. Shit, shit shit!

We need to get the hell away, one touch to our self, and we are DEAD.

Oh, just like Goran (and Bang), if we are going for the kill we should destroy his brain. Just throwing this out...

...didn't Jeeba dig at us for "spouting nonsense about pitting souls against one another"? Now he's doing that! MOCK HIM MERCILESSLY.

Also I think we have been neglecting one final element of Blood Magic. PLASMA. Keddic, seek out that which your blood is suspended in. Seize control over it as well. It may prove useful against this attack...

Also spike him in the brain. We've got to kill his head for this fight to end. It's about time we finished the fight; not much further to go for complete mastery of White Blood.

Oh, and if we for some reason don't want to kill him, lets say we want to save his soul for Mordre or better yet, bring his body to Kyorto so that she finally can manifest I have an idea how to keep Jeeba unconscious: after we beat him, we could connect a blood tentacle to his brain and cut of oxygen supply so that he barely has enough to survive but not enough to stay conscious. Then we put his body on a cart or something and travel to Mordre while keeping the connection...

If it is possible, as you're White Blood devours Jeeba from the inside out, to begin first on turning him back from a Ragegult?

Second, there are Hormones produced by the, ahem, testes, the Androgens such as Testosterone, that, along with the development of secondary sexual characteristics in man, also increases muscle mass and bone density. Focusing on this will likely make you bigger and stronger, if perhaps moody. Others can expand upon this and possibly make it work better.

As for what to -say-:

"Then stop, Jeeba. You are terrorizing the audience - this is not the way of a warrior, not someone that throws their souls gloriously into combat! This is not how combat grows, it is how combat stifles! Yield before I devour you completely!"

And I would suggest >>232702 soon, including Demon/Angel and Bone-pun.

After the fight or during the next pause we should do a full body check. Recent battles have put much strain on our body, some of it likely very subtle with possible long term effects.

How about we trigger S.K.P. - UNTOUCHABLE if things start going real bad and we need to gtfo of Jeebas death field?

>>232998
I'm pretty sure we're already doing that.

Oh if we're going to spike his brain... stay the fuck away from those teeth with our blood cells. Plasma should be fine.

There's a good thought here, but I can't articulate it very well and Golem Quest lore is eluding me in my sleep-deprived state, so I'll try to sketch it out and let someone else take it away:

This white blood thing should be extensible beyond the human form. Ley lines are the blood of the world, right? So what is the white blood of the world? What is a soul in relation to the world, and what then forms the corresponding "souls" of a living body? Can those equivalents become the equivalent of human heroic or legendary souls? How does all this fit together? Does it have to do with relative power levels of different types of magic somehow? And what does all this say about how Keddic should be able to relate to other people and the world around him?

We really need a grand unified theory of magic to make this work, but I just know that there's far more power to be grasped here if we can only nail down the concepts behind how it should work.

Suggestion 2010/09/23(Thu)00:12 No. 233049 ID: a69afd
File 128522594198.gif - (14.13KB , 834x600 , KEDDIC HARKSBURTON - ADEPT OF WHITE BLOOD.gif )

>>232968
Jeeba's blood magic resistance, his bones spurs that undo life, these are walls- walls that must be broken! We cannot merely strike his brain and be done with it, we must defeat him with blood, how can Keddic call himself a Harksburton otherwise? Will he end this fight here, where none can see our triumph, where no glory shall be had in merely ending Jeeba like some common thug? Will we attempt to punch his soul out, risking ours in failure and imprisonment in success? I don't think so.

It is Keddic's duty to end this fight in a manner so fucking spectacular, it will be as if Keddic Harksburton the first had come back just to say "SON OF OGGDURO, I AM DISSAPOINT"

To achieve this, I propose a culmination of physical and magical force using every single cell he has under his current control. Concentrating white blood inside Keddic's fists and red blood on the outside, combine the onslaught with the proud lion. Hit Jeeba with a barrage of blows- Each a self-propagating, twisting, exploding, shredding storm of blood and power. Force Jeeba back, continue this flurry and use it to blow Jeeba out of the building. Let the inhabitants of this land witness that Keddic Harksburton is so fucking manly he beats ragegluts into submission with his fists.

THIS IS KEDDIC'S FACE WHEN HE STANDS ATOP THE BROKEN BODY OF JEEBA HECHLER. THIS FACE BELONGS TO ONE WHO HAS MASTERED BLOOD AND USED IT TO DEFEAT A MAN WHO BECAME A MONSTER, A CREATURE THAT WOULD BE OTHERWISE IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT WITH THE SANGUINE ARTS.

Ask Jeeba if he has any last words, the last thing he will hear from Keddic is: "Come at me, foe."

>>233049
I'd agree with you, if we were to first disable his bone spurs.

>Do I have any more ideas of White Blood's use, now that I have become an Expert?

>[So, can't read minds of foes whose blood you harvested, controlling another's blood like that would take AT LEAST a 15 on your White Blood rating, but otherwise-]

We could try this now that we are almost on level 30

>>232988
>Focusing on this will likely make you bigger and stronger, if perhaps moody

With our expert ability we could be able to remove side effects, imo. Lets try this and at the same time keep cool.

>>233073
!

>:D

Laugh at him. Laugh at him, because he has reduced himself to criminal scum. Laugh at him, because he drags his family name through the mud. Laugh at him, because he relies on soul magic to barely come CLOSE to you.

Laugh at him, and pity him, for his life will soon be ending.

...Hey. We just got a ton more blood, right? He's strong enough where I doubt he's completely ground-bound, he could likely jump hella-far and high, but I think we might be able to use blood wings to get some space, if we need it.

As for what he did... I wonder if he uncapped the limit on cellular division with that pill? He's still growing... And he just got a bit sloppier with his movements... Hrmm... I wonder if eventually his dexterity will further decrease...

Hrmm... We have some measure of control of the blood in him, yes? I wonder if we can supercharge his liver, like we did ours... Produce a shitton of white blood in him that would attack his own body. Maybe even damage his brain with the blood pressure. Hell, maybe we could use his other organs against him. Ideas, guys?

...Also, if he -is- a rageglut now, and -does- draw power from rage, maybe we -shouldn't- mock him and increase how angry he is? ...Or maybe we should. He has to crash eventually, or otherwise reach the point where it's more disadvantage than boon, otherwise he wouldn't have had the pill as a 'panic button' as it were.

My current plan is to get him so mad, so pissed, that he loses control of his drug and pulls a fucking tetsuo, so we can kill him that much faster.

Oooo, idea. The very blood within him twists and spins and rotates, right? What if we increase all that to the point where his blood grinds against his very veins, or acts as an opposite motion to slow or divert his movements and attacks. Or, if that doesn't work, maybe we can stop the spinning cells or have him simply make ordinary red blood to simply remove that advantage. Whatever we can manage.

Perhaps it's time to truly use your blood mastery. Jeeba had these twisted blood cells, proving that blood can be fundamentally altered! So far you've more or less used and improved on what you've been given, but what if you create something completely new that's only possible for a white blood expert or master?

Reach deep inside of your soul and body to make a small quantity of ultra elite blood! Blood with the sensory ability and innate combat instinct of the white combined with the iron hardness and vast oxygen fueled power of the red! This is the NOBLE PURPLE BLOOD OF A HARKSBURTON! Clad in iron and limitless in strength, the strongest blood there ever will be just like the very first Harksburton!

"You wish to pit your strength against mine? To stand upon equal ground and find our better?! YOU FOOL. Your actions have ensure that you can never stand even with me again. The Hechler shall never again stand equal with the Harksburton"


In other news, stealing from Senth(sort of).
With your newly gained understanding of keeping the blood active while outside your body, you should be able to do this little trick.

When you breath out, you make some of your upgrades W.B.Cells ride your breath. This will cause a cloud of 'null enemy' to form around you; weakening enemy attacks and damaging them when they enter it.
With this you can cause the enemy to inhale your blood where it will work on them from the inside.

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: ALBESCENT HAZE

If you want to hide it (and look good) you can do it while smoking old Bessie.
I know that normal people can't see blood in the air like that, but observant ones may notice the magical (or physical if they are awesome enough) difference in the air. If you smoke while you do it, they will likely attribute the difference to whatever you are smoking rather than the cellular attack.

>>233136
Keddic can't smoke Old Bessie! Seth stole it, remember?

!!!

Instead of having the white blood make his body reject itself, how about forcing it through his blood brain barrier (I think his brain would be about the same as before due to his apparent lack of mental transformation) and having it stop him in his tracks, attack the parts that control movement.

If that does not stop him... THEN IT'S MEDULLA OBLONGATA TIME (i.e. the lower section of the brain stem)
Sever/rupture it and he dies, instantly.

>>233137
I know, he can do it without it for the time being, but when (not if, WHEN) he takes it back from Senth, he can incorporate Old Bessie.

----
Guess we can hold off on BLOODY OVERDRIVE for now.

>>233134
Another idea! This White Blood has a soul, or at least a proto-soul. A warrior's soul of blood - SO TRAIN THIS BLOOD! IMPRINT THE WISDOM OF THE WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON ONTO THESE CELLS SO THEY MAY ATTACK AS YOU DO! TO INTERNALIZE THE WINDING WAY! DEVELOP THESE TINY WARRIORS INTO HERO SOULS!

[Purple Blood + Hero Blood = No Evil, All Die, and they will even have it underlined.]

>>232954
Really? Sounds cool, though this makes his crotch even more of a weak point.

Anyways, what you guys all seem to have forgotten is the last part of the blood, the Platelets. If White Blood is the SPESS MEHREENS of circulatory defense, then platelets would be something like Imperial Guardsmen, holding the first line until the reinforcements arrive.

Perhaps some sort of cheap, easily-regenerated passive platelet armor via veins could be constructed? Or exoskeletal defense systems using solid reinforced platelet blocks?

Fusing the white blood's aura shield and platelets for form, defense, and extra manipulable mass to construct a solid set of blood armor similar in shape to the Obdurant Ox would be a nice compliment to the Proud Lion bloodsword thing.

>>233196 see >>232516. And I think we either have the Brain/Blood Barrier between...Skin and flesh, because I can't think of "B" words for that, or a layer of Platelets. If it's -not-, then yeah, I agree with repeating this idea.

And let me sadly note I am depressed that we've been less 'Many Ways of the Harksburton' and more 'Data-dump the New England Journal of Medicine into Keddic's Brain'.

Yea, give your stuff names people.

So, Keddic, how exactly does the Way work? Something about Will and Blood, you said, but as far as I understand, those are just sorta fuel sources, and yet what you do is obviously more than just tapping them for energy. Or maybe I'm too rigid in my thinking?

>>233073
I like the way you think.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/09/23(Thu)21:29 No. 233314 ID: a76809
File 128530256331.jpg - (182.47KB , 900x900 , JEEBAAAAAAAAAAA.jpg )

>>232958
[You have:]
>-Minor Passive Regeneration.
>-Automatic Reactive Defenses (Blood-Tasted Foes, further improves when bone marrow has been sampled, or some other source of foe's stem cells.)
>-Blood Magic now substantially Arcane Defense Piercing.
>-Complete immunity to mundane diseases and toxins, high resistances to magical variants.
>-Passively build Order in blood as time passes, which is expended when using Winding Way for anything other than individual punches to amplify use.
>-Passive Threat detection with all senses.
>-Active Sensory boosting that amplifies threat sensing when used. Requires adrenaline for mind to process properly.
>-Passively hardened circulatory system
>-Passively boosted nervous system, better sensory data, faster innate reaction.
>-Manual control of Adrenaline release in body
>-Twin augmented livers with paired gallbladder for accelerated blood detoxifying and filtering, as well as imbuing Red Blood with White blood imprints.
>External blood can be automatically reactive to Known threats, when guided by White Blood.
>-Moderate ability to acclimatize to threats that do not outright kill.
>-Blood cell replication limit boosted from 52 to 128, improving hardiness of blood at increased risk of cancer.
>-Brain heavily insulated from adulteration and shock by outside forces.
>-Can actively attack other bodies with their own immune system by using samples of claimed blood to replicate it for cellular subterfuge.
[I think that's it.]

>>232979
"I recall a certain someone mocking my talk of pitting souls against one another. And here I find you making such utterances. A bit self-conscious, are we?"

His earlier violent joviality vanishing with the speed of the mad as he lapse back to stillness, eying me with a calm far at odds with his body still questing to break free.

>"I have not met one that could make me grow, dancing on the precipice of death, oblivion, for a long time. I had thought I would not find another... why do you think I sought out the Dragons? I thought you blowing hot air..."

Arms break free of sanguine spears with strength that borders on the obscene, blood reclaimed as he shifts to attack.

>"I was wrong, and I thank you.
WAY OF HECHLER: OBLITERATING CORKSCREW!!"

The scion of Hechler's fist races towards me, knuckles a mass of bony spur leaking Soul Magic as it races towards my form. Still in my fugue, reeling from my mind's alterations and prolonged state of inspiration, I twitch as a new thought slithers into view, and I look past the Red and White, seeing the fluid that the individual cells float in. I lash out, claiming its specific dominion as my own from the years of inadvertent use I directed to one of the many sanguine components I could not differentiate between yesterday, and put it to work. I feel a sense of unwinding, unmaking... but this yellow fluid now flowing out of my veins as my own arms flash forward, it feels so simple that I wonder if it would even be effected. I lash out, covering Jeeba's knuckles with the fluid waiting for any reason to sever the connection. The plasma touches bone and with a great yet muffled boom, the soul energy ceases flowing, as I feel Jeeba's soul; diminish by a considerable margin. The plasma survives, soaking up the spent energy greedily.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 29/?? UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]

>>233049
But while Jeeba's blow has been crippled, in the sea of slowed time I swim within my own attack continues to build, fists rising with paired Winding Way bursts flashing into being. With feet striking the ground, body and soul behind my fist, my right hand slams into Jeeba's stomach, the shockwave failing to pierce his ever hardening flesh, yet knocking him back a step all the same. He moves to recover-

As my left hand barrels into his chest with every bit as much force behind it, my furious footwork bringing me closer as I ready a third strike. Again the artillery blow of my fist along with the winding way shockwave smashes into Jeeba like a falling star, sheer brute force and magical enhancement conjoining to give him no room, no time to react, my space between moments granting me bastion from reprisals. I would be exhausted unto unconsciousness in seconds if I tried this before, but now, I build speed, beginning to charge forward with Jeeba half-suspended in the air before me, every propelled by my blows as I step and brace, step and brace, his skin slowly tearing even as it bruises. This forward advance reaches the arena wall at last, and the scion of Hechler slams into the woodwork as my blows continue to rain down on his form. I see him twitching and striving, seeking reprieve or retaliation, but the beating does not stop, even as the wood behind him begins to creak, and with my feet so firmly set, even crack. I dig my feat in ever deeper as I pull both arms back, tightening fists while my whole body lashes forth like a whip for a final double-handed blow to top off the onslaught, a name for this rush coming to mind.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: PRODIGAL PUMMELING!!!"

With a tearing thunder, the walls cave, and I blow Jeeba clear through the arena walls, tumbling out into the village proper of Gainer where spectators are still in midflight. So many turn to gawk as the very one they fled strives for his feet while I step through the blasted Arena walls, skin golden and ashen in turn, eyes scarlet with blood infused irises, my blond mane positively glowing as I begin to laugh.

>>233093
Those few still fleeing stop at my rolling rumble, my general enthusiasm as I wholeheartedly laugh, before I beckon towards my foe, savoring the moment.

"Come at me, worm."

>>233073
My mind still racing, I turn my thoughts towards the resilience to Blood Jeeba is increasingly evidencing, likely some relation to Rageglut magic. I likewise recall that I consumed some fifty pounds of his flesh several seconds ago, so perhaps within that mass...

>[WHITE BLOOD MASTERY CHECK: >25 ADEPT+ PASS]

I hear it, an echo of woven Blood magic, not enough to claim as my own, but enough to find flaws, weak patches in the weave I sense. I likewise hear the cries of several scantly used weavings of Blood, remnants of those whose blood festooned the arena floor, and while most are inconsequential compared to my own understanding of the sanguine, a few contribute some scant few areas of improved performance, simpler, more effective commands to utilize. While a great gain, it still feels insufficient.
>-Keddic can now gain other methods of Blood magic from the blood of foes.

More.

>>232988
>>232954
>>232948
>[WHITE BLOOD MASTERY CHECK: >20 PASS]

All the while watching the world through kaleidoscope eyes, blowing my mind as thoughts race with abandon, I turn my thought towards my circulation. I find an artery deep in my torso, in my pelvic area, while I consider the gains of having two livers.... why not two hearts? Sensing my intentions, the White builds on itself, draining away the excess fluids I control to form a wholly new organ, a heart coming to be only by being so directly related to blood. Forged and basted in white blood, it begins beating in counter to my original, now in possession of two sets of hydraulics to regulate my blood. I set this wholly new heart just above the family jewels to specializing in White Blood, to speed its flow and dissemination. I feel that mixing Red and White blood has gotten even easier....

And it is still not enough. Where I not frozen in the moment, I would have stumbled as I strived for more.

>>233134
>>233196
>[WHITE BLOOD MASTERY CHECK: >25 ADEPT+ PASS]
I cast into my blood again, riding a surge of inspiration that threatens to break my mind, as I discern yet another facet of blood, some prolific substance that feels like armor. I commune with liver and heart, Red and White, and begin to forge a bond, some means for this new find, this blood armor to reactively graft and lock about blood, improving strength and durability as needed. Where once my veins could be like iron, now they could be steel. With this last act, I feel a final shift taking place in my blood, as all the individual parts communally rejoin after being individually identified, all the while building Order and firmly grafted to my whole body. ...I feel at home, with the White under my beck and call, where once I only dreamed.

[WHITE BLOOD EXPERTISE: 30/30 UNIVERSAL WHITE BLOOD COMPETENCY]
[RANK: MASTER OF WHITE BLOOD]

I feel the Moment of Inspiration finally sputter out at this sobering realization, that the horizon has vanished, my pioneering jounrey over, as I revel in all that I wrought while I could, a far different fighter than I was before this bout. With Jeeba finally rising to his feet, my mind clears of the tumultuous fugue that gripped me, and I begin once more to dance in place, fists raised with a cocky smirk as I await Jeeba. The fleeing crowd lingers to watch, spellbound by my actions.

>>233130
[You want some TETSUOOOOOOO?]

Jeeba rises like a drunk, body already healing, as he regards me with eyes split between rage and respect. For a long moment he seems to war with himself, straining to charge me as an avalanche of hate and pain while an iron will only just restrains it. Several long seconds pass like this, in which I note Jeeba has gained another two feet of height, before he chokes out a few, simple words.

>"...One day."

A space above his left nipple abruptly caves in, some organ collapsing or crushed, as eyes go blank with rage, a cloud of Soul energy exploding about the now rapidly growing form. That olive-emerald emission spirals away into the clouds as before me I now find-

A Rageglut, a monster some sixty feet tall, in Jeeba's skin, a mindless hate guiding hands the size of houses to pluck a rock the size of a teahouse from the ground as it bellows a thundering roar of challenge, the rock now plummeting towards my form as the audience begins to flee halfheartedly, as if hopeful yet.



What should I say or do?
How should I deal with the scores of tons of rock falling my way?
And how shall I fight a foe this large, especially in the middle of a dense town?

Man, Jeeba would make Dulu proud.

Goddamnit How do I shot Trip, look what you've done.

>>233314
...

Ok. First off: >>233130 You? I hate you.

Second: BLOOD WINGS, KEDDIC, BLOOD WINGS! Fly the fuck out of the way and then at his face, send a blood-lance through his eye!

Well, I think I know what you need to do. Climb up him Shadow of the Colossus style and stab him in his magical glowing weak point (His brain) with your (blood) sword.

Is it possible to use Jeeba's blood to eat through this corruption? We must return LordgenomeJeeba back to his original form, to spare him, like our ancestor did.

And Keddic! CALL FOR AID!
"WARRIORS OF GRAND GAINER, HEED MY CALL! I call, nay demand your aid! All warriors still breathing, join me in this duel with a most worthy foe! We must stop his rage before it consumes this fair city!" And clench your teeth and draw the Proud Lion to you via the Winding Way - and if that is not possible, WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: TRUEBLOOD SIMULACRUM!!!! Draw forth the Blade of the Lion from your very flesh!
"Forgive me, Jeeba, It was you that was stronger, not I." And charge! If nothing, we must leap and strike at him like a butterfly and yet sting like a hornet!

As you charge, go over the powers you unlocked from the Ring. Gravity control, acid, even the Ways of the Sprial that the Hechler's wield so devastatingly. What have you learned from them. [Idea: Cut and lick Bang when you see him again.]

[Bob, does this mean all blood now counts as White Blood, and is Keddic now legendary?]

>>233130
You're a jerk, Trip. A jerk. Turn our eternal rival into a giant, creepy baby. Cute.

>>233325
[To questions: No, and No. Post will still be viable for update tomorrow.]

>>233130
Everyone hates you now. Forever.

>>233324
Totally awesome, totally impractical, totally Keddic.

Can Keddic, by any chance, gain altitude by jumping onto the incoming rocks, jumping ever higher with each rock, smashing the rocks into a cloud of dust? Would that even help? Perhaps using that network of anchors (sending tendrils to worry at Jeeba's soles, too) to steady Keddic, so he can send spears to catch and latch onto the boulders, Keddic can swing the rocks around, redirecting their momentum, and release the rocks in the direction of Jeeba's face with enough force to obliterate the boulders into dust, thus harming/irritating him and preventing the rocks from harming the town/people too much? Maybe combine the two?

>>233333
[Viable for update tomorrow? What does that mean? And...33333...did Keddic just do something awesome again?]

Well.

Now that the danger of our DNA being unwound has mostly passed, all we have to do is slay this Jeeba-cum-golem. And I have the perfect plan for that.

Fly into the sky, Harksburton, it's time to turn Hechler's Way against him. When of a sufficient altitude, turn your massive steely wings into a drill about your feet. Spin like mad, keeping yourself from being dizzy with control over the blood in your inner ear.

[speaking of which, it should now be utterly impossible to make Keddic unbalanced, or disorient him with normal tumbling.]

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON:BLOODY DRILL BREAKER!

>>233314
The air is where this battle is headed. Your Sanguine Wings are good, but they can be so much more: Instead of two wings, make six. With the twisting nature of the blood in your cloak and toga and the addition of more wings, manuverability will not be an issue. Where some have noted your appearance, your abilities, your very nature to be... Angelic- Set the record straight. Remember how Jeeba described the clashing between the Founder and Oggduro?

>A prodigy with blood and iron alike, always learning, always dreaming, new ways of death appearing in his possession as if divine will.

Let us take on this visage of an ascended state of being, make this battle a thing of legends.

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: SANGUINE SERAPHIM

Reform your sword of blood, only this time make it different from a mere copy of your family sword. A longsword with flowing hooks along one edge that churn perpetually, the tips of these wicked and chaotic teeth adorned with white blood as if some cleansing fire threatened to burst free from this sanguine blade-

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: SCARLET TALON

NOW TAKE TO THE SKY KEDDIC, SHOW THIS DOG OF DOMINTUS THE MEANING OF HOLY WRATH.

The tons of rock? Well you could try PUNCHING it, relying on your newfound reinforced resilience to just smash the fucking thing...

Or we could be reasonable. Jump and launch off of it, and switch to BLOODY PINIONS to fly right at our foe. It no longer has those soul-powered unraveling spurs right? Then we need not worry overmuch about its attacks. Get yerself right up to its ugly mug and spike it. Kill its brain.

>>233349
uh guys

uh

[22:35]<TheBeardiestBob>who said the spurs are gone?
[22:35]<TheBeardiestBob>did I say the spurs were gone?

...his soul's gone. There's no soul magic behind those spurs. They're just regular ol' bone spurs now. Not much threat.

>>233314
Okay. So, that's not Jeeba anymore, which amongst other things means that we've won the tournament rather handily.

I would counsel that we take this battle out of town. Considering that the creature is guided by mindless hate and that we are quite swift, it doesn't seem unreasonable that we could provoke it easily and get it to follow us rather than harm the surrounding buildings and populace. Once we're in an area less full of innocent bystanders, we can turn on him and really cut loose.

Likewise, any call for others to aid us- if we choose to do so, which I suspect is not necessary with Jeeba's soul gone- should not take place until we are outside of town, where the Rageglut being distracted from us to random people trying to help would not result in mass property damage. Though personally, I'd rather finish this ourselves; there'll a certain satisfaction in knowing that even with Jeeba throwing this at us, we were able to take his best and emerge victorious.

Lets ask the tournament announcer or official if taking our sword, Proud Lion, will not disqualify us. I think they will be alright with that, no?
Lets take the sword or ask someone to bring it while we hold Jeeba back.

Also roar out that everyone shout evacuate the area, preferably the whole town. There will be a lot of collateral damage. Oh and lets try to be a hero, like saving a shocked damsel from a falling house at the last second IF we are sure that we wont be endangering ourself too much.

Sov 2010/09/24(Fri)00:28 No. 233434 ID: aead75
File 128531333580.jpg - (42.48KB , 450x600 , Keddic_is_octavius.jpg )

>>233346
eeh... i have doubts that it was ever the DNA being unwound in the first place- the only way that'd destroy our cells is if it unwound so forcefully that it tore the cells apart- probably not described by 'unraveling'. It is more probable that it does some shit with the phospholipid bilayer, which would pretty much make all the 'walls' of everything in keddic's cells falls apart. not sure how we'd counter that, but....

This is indeed a gigantic monster- and it has a gigantic brain, most likely. (or a giant armored container for it's little brain). I think you should go for the nice big gaps between it's vertebrae, as you makes his way to the brain.

If you use the Bloody Pinions to as an Octavius-like climbing mechanism, you can maintain maneuverability, pierce your way up the back of Jeeba, and sever his spine in several places! End with a nice exploding rageglut brain, and all is.. maybe well?

Also, if you have any control over the possibility cells that you were thinking about earlier... there are quite a few in your brain, and some (around 2000 an hour or so) turn into brain cells in a part of your head that kinda looks like a seahorse. If you can jumpstart these into growing more often, you'll have a better memory, and probably a more ordered mind.

We should cut his Achilles tendons and see how fast he heals as well as how much blood he bleeds. Also try to lead him back into the arena, we dont want the civilians killed.

I vote for killing him he is far too powerful with too little concern for harming civilians. If we leave him alive its like batman and joker only without doing anything to prevent joker from harming people after beating him.

>>233434
I like the sound of this. As we are climbing up we should try to steal as much of his blood as we can. Maybe steal some Rageglut hardiness/bloodmagic resistance.

Block the incoming boulders using mass connection. Make contact with the rock and switch yourself to the other side of it!

Let's take Jeeba on. His body is probably still destroying itself from within. Claim all the blood he's been bleeding all over since the feasting lariat and take flight using sanguine wings. Do the climb-on back maneuver, but keep using bits of the claimed blood to further attack Jeeba from inside. See if you can specifically reprogram his immune system to attack his own nerves and brain by causing swelling and cellular destruction. Watch out so he doesn't just try to crush you against the ground while you do it.

Meanwhile try to get the audience away. Shout out to the crowd that this gentlemens battle has gone a bit over the top and that they need to give you far, far more room for the fight!

Lure him back into the arena.

Angel mode
Bloody pinions tipped with white blood and Winding way energy

Impales - White blood floods him - Pinions explode with winding way energy

After that, keep distance and shoot winding-way-white-blood bullets at him.

ALL DAY EVERY DAY

Keddic! A suggestion so we can use it later, but before you charge after Jeeba, can you sense any of Senth's blood? So we may hunt him down later and retrieve Ol' Bessie?

The tournament is more or less over so we no longer need to follow its rules which means we can use our sword again. are we close enough to retrive it?

>>233521
I'd like to make sure if they're finished or not. I don't want us to get our sword and the winner being Jeeba, dead or cured.

And why are we so in favor of 'You're huge, that means you must have huge brains, rip and tear'?

 

Thought you would need some tunes bro.

...Keddic needs a horse.

A horse made from awesome, like Lubu's horse.

A golem horse, mayhap?

Pshaw, horses, Keddic seems like one of nature's pedestrians to me, a man that enjoys walking.

>>233550
True.
But I think he is also a man that enjoys horses.

Whatever we do the Blood Angel mode must be worked in sooner or later.
The shock and awe and admiration of the spectators will be worth it.
Imagine the tales, the legends, the songs that will be sung in Keddics tribute!
He would truly become immortal, I can fully imagine thousands years later that the story (after its many incarnations and retellings) would be told again.

It will be magnificent.

>>233546

We're in the land of DRAGONS, emphasis on there being actual fire-breathing dragons running about. Keddic needs to go wrassle a dragon, beat it within an inch of it's life, heal it and tame it. Then we can go commission a set of armor and a saddle for it from Iron Dragon Zuon.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/09/24(Fri)19:27 No. 233616 ID: a76809
File 128538162846.jpg - (32.40KB , 480x241 , Keddic gets on his ZOMBOLT.jpg )

>>233495
[Not a single drop.]

>>233340
[Means this:]

>>233325
[Can't replicate other's magics like that, only Blood manipulation can be flat out stolen via White blood's tricks.]

...My sword.

The match is over, my opponent now a monster that threatens the town. His scale is immense, and I wonder, even with the Blood I hold, if I can cause enough quantity of wounds to slay his gargantuan body. Only with the Proud Lion in my hands, do I feel confident I could slay him, cause grievous enough harm. With these thoughts rumbling about inside my mind, I reach out, sensing the familiar pall of ancestral Blood Iron worked and woven into worn steel, the massive cleaver near.... but not near enough. I begin to despair by increments, fearing what Jeeba's engorged form might do to the populace while I seek out my weapon, when a solution comes to me. The Winding Way, familiar metals, familiar pieces of blood... all are present, and manipulatable. I attempt something I dreamed of as a child, placing my hand to my chest, above my heart, triggering a burst of Winding Way as I pull.

The Proud Lion's hilt is in my hand, its blade wrenching free of my body, transported to my grasp by Will and Blood, Red and White. I feed even more blood to the blade, creating an extension to the blade, a sanguine edge dozens of feet longer than the weapon itself. I can only barely hold the blood rigid and firm at this scale, a thought I barely heed as I heave my now immensely weighty blade into motion, a scarlet edge twenty feet long whizzing towards the falling rock as I once more build a charge within my preferred weapon. As blade meets teahouse-sized boulder, I trigger the burst of power, grateful I hardened my system so to withstand what I now attempt.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: TITANIC STORM!!!"

Already cleaving through stone like butter, the sanguine blade explodes, a shifting bed of stabbing and twisting shards of blood shattering stone, breaking the pieces smaller and smaller until naught but pebbles and grit rain down around me, my twin hearts beating madly as I race to reclaim the rioting claret. As Jeeba's collosal frame bellows a roar that shatters windows, I see the crowd... remaining, watching as I heft the Proud Lion, its weight in my hand more reassuring than any other weapon could be.

>>233322
>>233324
>>233336
I sprout wings of Blood, unsure if I do so to impress the crowd or for purely utilitarian reasons, a mighty beat and leap alike sending me streaking skyward. I emerge from the cloud of shattered stone, seeing Jeeba's rheumy, blood-filled eyes turning to direct their singular hate upon me, a fist flying towards my airborne form without hesitation. My wings beat again as I lash out,a tendril of blood skewering the impending fist and giving me sufficient leverage to evade, still climbing as I heft my blade. There is no artistry in this, no clash of wills, just mindless rage that I shall cut down.

I finally fly above Jeeba's head with the eyes of the town on me.

>>233346
>>233349
I pool a mass of blood beneath my feet even as I convert my wings to a hail of sanguine spears, roaring out a challenge as I prepare my followup attack.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

The sanguine spears, each as large as an arm, fall down on Jeeba like raindrops, his massive form simply taking the impacts, the lances embedding in his skin and retaining their rigidity. I find myself thankful I assumed the attack would be insufficient, as I still outpace Jeeba's attempted counter, as my body plummets, a spike half the size of my body beneath my feet, forged of Jeeba's own twisted blood, revolving with ever greater speed as I rush to meet my foe before his rising hands close about me. With my sword used as a rudder to steer my descent, I gleefully howl out my attack, enjoying the moment.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY DRILL-DRIVER!!!!"

With a crack of splintering bone that echoes about the whole of Gainer, my attack slams into Jeeba's forehead, piercing feet of hardened bone-and ultimately stopping, still not having reached the brain. ...A rather potent passive armor.

As hands rise up to clap about me to squash like a gnat, I flood myself with adrenaline.

>>233380
>>233390
>>233434
>>233485
[FANART BONUS]
With several hundred pounds of blood spilling freely from Jeeba's form, I dart behind him, evading his grasping hands as I expend all the blood in my wings, lashing out at his back as a plan brews.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

As once more his huge form simply takes the attack, I consider what I felt when I struck his skull, even as the great lumbering beast turns to face me as I begin leading him away from the middle of the town. I felt no soul, no sapience guiding this form... and I find myself wondering if Jeeba could have simply abandoned his body here, and fled as a soul. This thought almost distracts me from noting Jeeba's stomping footfalls draw near to the buildings, as I dart back in, already having converted the blood I stole from my foe. ...Truly, this learning ability of White blood is marvelous, a thought that sustains me as I charge a giant alone. I form wings yet again, almost immediately spending them to form even more spikes embedded in my massive foe.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

I dart under a fist that craters the ground and shakes nearby buildings, and begin darting up, leaping from foothold to foothold as I scale my mountainous opponent, once more forming wings only to spend them without hesitation.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

My path now extended, I finally race high enough I stand on Jeeba's chest, and I leap high into the air before he crushes me flat, the Proud Lion held high above my head in a two handed grip. I spend the last of my claimed blood, draining my toga and my cloak, the Lion's Hide, forming not two but six wings about my form, twisting and tweaking my form as a pillar of blood rises from my skyward facing blade. With the sun glistening on my sanguine emulsions, I smile as I recall what Mordre did in his bout against the Metal Titan.

My blade swings down, towards Jeeba-

And the solid line of Bloody Pinions sank into his flesh.

The blade meets resistance in the heavy skull, only barely breaking through thanks to the still healing wound I sowed moments ago, before reaching the first of my bloody trap. With each pinion the blade meets, it swells and blooms, growing larger, heavier, more potent as it continues ever downward, dividing a mountain of flesh in twain. Jeeba's form barely has time to gurgle before the blade slams to the ground with a quake that collapses a nearby storefront and divides the very earth, a new chasm beneath the falling gore-spewing halves of the giant I fought, as I think of the perfect name.

"[ u ]WAY OF HARKSBURTON: COLLOSUS CLEAVER!!!!"

...And Jeeba is no more, the respective halves pitching forward as muscles spasm, falling with a splat to encompass the whole of Gainer's main road.

Not a single person speaks. All eyes are glued to me as I withdraw my sanguine wings, unsheathe the Proud Lion in blood, and stand tall, a Giant Slayer

SECRET BONUS 21: TROLLING TROLLINGWOOD [MISSED]
SECRET BONUS 22: SLAYER OF HEROES [MISSED]
SECRET BONUS 23: FOURTH AND FIRST
>-Sustain a Moment of Inspiration long enough to become an Adept of Blood Magic
>-Force Jeeba to speak about the founder of the Harksburton family.

Knowledge Gain:
Backstory:
-Athelens, the single largest exporter of agricultural goods and general food-stock, has recently proclaimed an official national religion, called the World Order. This Order is based around worshiping Leylines.
-The general belief set follows that by praying to and sending magic to the Leylines, the world will yield great returns, frequently in the forms of ample harvests, and general good luck.
-Castiliathen has demanded that Athelens halt this false idolatry, claiming that 'dirt-worshiping' is a fool's game, pointing to this as why crop yields have diminished in recent seasons.
-In response, Athelens has increased the cost of all their exports to Castiliathen, making it impractical to buy directly. High King Arcturo Fissykus of Castiliathen has called for a meeting of all the heads of Warrior families to discuss how a response should be handled.

SECRET BONUS 24: FINISHING FATHER'S WORK [MISSED]
SECRET BONUS 25: GIANT SLAYER
>-Force Jeeba to use the Rageglut seed, and then slay his body.

Knowledge Gain:
Backstory:
-Jeeba, vowing to best Keddic no matter the cost, fled back to Castiliathen and the Hechler manor as a soul. To combat Keddic, he intends to-

-A hand falls onto my shoulder in my moment of reverie, and a red-haired head bobs forward, Old Bessie belching smoke between his smirking lips as Senth holds forth a bag that clinks when it moves.

>"So, I grabbed your prize there, and I am now officially under the employ of your master, that Mordre guy. Oh, and that dude who healed you during your semifinals fight-don't think I didn't notice that-is in a cot over yonder."

I follow Senth's gesturing finger to see Bagrom peacefully oblivious to the world around him, battered but whole upon a simple stretcher.

>"Well, unless you feel like buying me a drink, we gotta go."
"And why is that?"
>"They may cheer you... but they'll also expect you to clean all this up."

I look upon the shattered arena wall, the few toppled buildings, the gaping chasm in the ground, the tons of gore mucking everything up.....

And shortly find myself dragging Keddic's stretcher behind me as I march out of town, walking the walk of a hero.

>>233587
With the sun setting on our traveling trio, I finally give up on trying to reclaim Old Bessie on the seventeenth attempt, each time the youngster simply teleporting out of reach as if by reflex while snickering. As I consider how to actually come upon him unawares to reclaim what is mine, I find myself wishing to claim a dragon, one of the feral beasts that have roamed these lands since time immemorial, when two things happen:

A voice echoes in my head, the words of Mordre's minion Phohn carrying to me the following message: Mordre requests your immediate return. Dragon Jioga has found the trail.

A runner from Gainer present to me a missive before panting to catch his breath and jogging away. The letter bears naught but three lines on it's cover-the mark of my Master, The Lined One. I tear the letter open, and learn that he is within the town of Gainer, and heard of my exploits.... I could see my master again?



What should I say or do?
Should I go back to Mordre in Waltora, or should I return to Gainer to hunt down my master the Lined One?
[Yes, these are supposed to be mutually exclusive choices. Act under the assumption you cannot make both happen. Go to Mordre, miss out on meeting Lined One. Meet master, not there when Mordre might need Keddic. CHOOSE.]

>>myself dragging Keddic's stretcher behind me
Typo?

I vote Lined One. Mordre can handle himself mightily, and the chance to meet Keddic's master might not come again.

>>233616
Honestly, I feel that Mordre can hold off the Ash Dragon Jioga with the help of his Deepspawn.

Let's go meet our master.

>>233616
Go to Modre is my choice. But Keddic what do you feel is right?

>>233618
[Yeah, typo. Bagrom on stretcher, Keddic dragging said stretcher, Senth just strolling along, puffing on Old Bessie with the bag of money.]

Master.

>>233616
Tell Phohn that you have an opportunity to track down your old master which you cannot pass up, and that you have secured Mordre a new employee, Senth of Trollingwood, who should be fully capable of acting in your place. You trust that Mordre will understand, as he's seemed like a reasonable fellow in all your interactions and not particularly demanding of his people. Send Senth and Bagrom to Mordre, and leave on your own to track down the Lined One.

Go after the Lined One, Keddic, Mordre will be fine. Give Trollingwood (Yes I know that's not his name) and Bagrom directions from Phohn, or just tell him to give directions to Bagrom, and tell them to hurry it up. Also tell Mordre you hired a tractomancer, and he stole your goddamn pipe. (I reccommend seeing if you can WHITE BLOOD AND ADRENALINE your speed up to a point where you can grab it and put it in a blood bubblebag thing faster than he can react) Also tell Trollingwood that Mordre isn't currently in country, in fact you've never seen him because he remote controls a Soul Grave, don't ask how, research paper in progress, he'd tell you but he'd have to kill you hahaha kidding.

Why didn't I say this before? Mordre should have used the nights, assuming there's a time difference, to travel back to the Arcanoworks and talk to Vimes and Quinton and delay our fight with Eisenhardt, explaining that we're still working unfortunately but you hate to leave guests unattended, terrible luck of you to drop by right as I'm so busy, terrible bloody mess up north, glad that's sorted out, but now you're doing a job for a Grand Mage, can't delay that sort of business, sorry.

After all, we used a sedan chair thing, right? Didn't even need us there to move it, and if Burduko warped us home and warped himself back immediately and followed the chair again, between him and Phohn we could be back immediately in case of trouble/talkin'/where the hell's Mordre oh he's behind this tree here let me go get him.

Also, did we ever ask what the Ash Dragon Jioga does? I forgot. Probably something to do with fire. Actually probably not. Shoot.

To the master!

Argh. Send our new 'friend' to Mordre instead.

Master, but try to Phohn back and tell Mordre this, and relay the instructions. If possible, Keddic, meet with your master have him follow -you-, you want him to meet Mordre.

And to those of you saying Mordre can handily handle a Dragon, please let us not be stupid. Dragons are almost all Legendary Souls. Mordre would be be badly beaten if he tried to face a Dragon.

HE INTENDS TO WHAT, BOB? WHAT?

And 3x5 bonus was...what exactly? Our cool new ability to pull our sword out of us? Because that -is- awesome.

>>233640
[Senth interrupted the infodump with his appearance. I guess you'll NEVER KNOW.....]

>>233643
FUCKING SENTH

Ask Senth if he could teleport to the town and meet up with Mordre, if so make him carry Bagrom.

TO THE LINED ONE!

Think back to Phohn:

Thank you for the alert, Phohn. Please relay the follwing to Mordre: An opportunity has presented itself to find my former teacher, the Lined One. I do not know if there will ever be another chance to meet him, as he is a hunted man. I must take this opportunity to find him, before he goes to ground once more. My friend, I will try to get back as soon as I've managed to establish contact, as I've so many things to show you and Bang. I know you'll understand.

In my place, I'm sending a new hopeful I met at the tournament, with Bagrom. His name is Senth, and he's something of a troublemaker, but very talented and ready to sign on. Do see if you can't finagle my Pipe out of his grasp at some point, would you, old chap?

Oh, one more thing: I won. He has my prize money too, so keep that in mind.

>>233637
Eisenhardt right now is just on the crux of Legendary Soul territory.

And Lubu seems to be a pretty High-End dragon. I'm not saying that they're anything to scoff at, but at the same time, lets not jump to the conclusion that Mordre is out and out fucked in a fight with one.

I would dare say that this need not devolve to a fight in any case. Mordre's here as a diplomat primarily, lets act the part.

Well the competition with Jioga isn't necessarily a combat one so Senth might be even better for it than Keddic as his talent for trolling and annoying people might be turned against the Dragon.

Go to seek your master, but let Mordre know you'll be back stronger than ever as soon as you can. Maybe you can finish off some loose ends and find out what this Winding Way is all about really. Mordre can also turn this into a selling point when trying to get Oz to join up. There's always time for master-student interactions and people have to be allowed to seek their personal goals.

Hey can we try to wake up Bagrom and heal him a bit with our newfound blood abilities?

Well, if it gets down to combat negotiations, it'd probably be one on one in which case Keddic won't be of much help anyways. If chaos breaks out, I'm sure Mordre can handle himself in mass combat. And Mordre's smart enough to avoid fighting anyways, not when so much is at stake.

Really, there's no reason for us to forgo the tasty plot hook.

Somehow I feel unsure about just running away from Gainer instead of tying up all the loose ends like the arena and the final award procedures if such exist and talking to any other warriors... It may come back to bite us in the ass, but I'm willing to risk that for the Lined One.

>>233640
[Yup. Fanart Bonus yielded new ultimate tech Collosal Cleave, a giant slaying move, while 5x3 yielded ability to summon sword out of own blood so long as the Proud Lion is close enough to be detected.]

>>233618
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>>233667
As I contemplate how to respond to this divide, these mutually exclusive demands of my attention, I funnel adrenaline into my system, slowing time as I tap the now heavily enriched Order of my system, striving to act so swiftly even Senth cannot respond, looking to reclaim my pipe-and again he teleports out of the way, in that instant between seconds. He looks at my wryly as he chuckles, offering words that when I reflect on them... are terrifying.

>"Hah, yeah, no, not gonna happen. I mean, if you can prise the pipe from my grip, obviously its yours again, but just getting faster? Not gonna do it. I figured out how to teleport electrical signals anywhere I want inside my body, sooo.... my reaction speed is faster than would be physically possible by any organic means. Nice try though, good turn of speed. Anyway, what's the plan here?"
"...Well, Senth you scoundrel-"
>"Ooooh, I like that, Scoundrel Senth, got some alliteration to it."
"I ultimately feel I need to track down my master.... but Mordre also needs able bodies at the moment. So I will send you on down the road to Woltora with Bagrom, while I return to Gainer. But before you leave, I need to send a message, and try to heal Bagrom."
>"Alllll right, works for me. Where in Woltora?"
"Should be in the Tyotworro estates, as this individual here is a family member."
>"No shit? Okay... and how exactly will you send that message?"
"...Just leave me be for a moment, I am sending it as we speak."
>"Neat."

As I ooze White blood over my foe, sinking it into flesh, coating burns and wrapping broken bones, I find Bagrom's system ravaged, organs threatening to fail, heart sluggish, and all in all surprising me that he is still alive. I find myself wising I had checked him earlier.... but if wishes were wings.... in any event, I bestow a full pound of my blood on him, expediting his recuperative process, even as I think back my reply to Phohn.

Thank you for the alert, Phohn. Please relay the following to Mordre: An opportunity has presented itself to find my former teacher, the Lined One. I do not know if there will ever be another chance to meet him, as he is a hunted man. I must take this opportunity to find him, before he goes to ground once more. My friend, I will try to get back as soon as I've managed to establish contact, as I've so many things to show you and Bang. I know you'll understand.

In my place, I'm sending a new hopeful I met at the tournament, with Bagrom. His name is Senth, and he's something of a troublemaker, but very talented and ready to sign on. Do see if you can't finagle my Pipe out of his grasp at some point, would you, old chap?

Oh, one more thing: I won. He has my prize money too, so keep that in mind.

.......

Your words have been conveyed to Mordre, and he accepts your proposed plan. He does ask that you be cautious, as Vandgurd and Zelgoto were struck down in a single blow, only surviving due to our regenerative abilities, and Jioga may ultimately travel towards Gainer, instead of Woltora.

I absorb this data, accepting the response given to me, as I nod towards Senth and the still unconscious Bagrom, whose body is still healing more swiftly thanks to my aid.

"Well Senth-"
>"What, no Scoundrel this time?"
"...Scoundrel Senth, I shall see you later, in Waltora, or wherever else Mordre's group may travel while I meet with my master. It was... interesting to meet you."
>"Hah, not bothering with simpering obsequiousness? Alright, alright. Well, bye now!"

As Senth takes the handles of Bagrom's stretcher from me, I turn back towards Gainer, and begin my trek back, the returning champion of the Grand Gainer.


GOLEM QUEST THREAD 8 COMPLETE!!
NEXT ARC: NOBLES AND DRAGONS.... AND DUNGEONS!?

New Thread: http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/233735.html

So hey, Keddic. Way to contribute something meaningful to the Way of the Harksburton there. Mission complete there, eh? Now we can see about finding you a nice girl and continuing the line.